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A preliminary study of mirror‑induced self‑directed behaviour on wildlife at the Royal Belum Rainforest Malaysia


Citation

Hamdan, Azwan and Ab Latip, Mohd Qayyum and Abu Hassim, Hasliza and Mohd Noor, Mohd Hezmee and Tengku Azizan, Tengku Rinalfi Putra and Mohamed Mustapha, Noordin and Ahmad, Hafandi (2020) A preliminary study of mirror‑induced self‑directed behaviour on wildlife at the Royal Belum Rainforest Malaysia. Scientific Reports, 10. art. no. 14105. pp. 1-9. ISSN 2045-2322

Abstract

Mirror-induced behaviour has been described as a cognitive ability of an animal to self-direct their image in front of the mirror. Most animals when exposed to a mirror responded with a social interactive behaviour such as aggressiveness, exploratory and repetitive behaviour. The objective of this study is to determine the mirror-induced self-directed behaviour on wildlife at the Royal Belum Rainforest, Malaysia. Wildlife species at the Royal Belum Rainforest were identifed using a camera traps from pre-determined natural saltlick locations. Acrylic mirrors with steel frame were placed facing the two saltlicks (Sira Batu and Sira Tanah) and the camera traps with motion-detecting infrared sensor were placed at strategically hidden spot. The behavioural data of the animal response to the mirror were analysed using an ethogram procedure. Results showed that barking deer was the species showing the highest interaction in front of the mirror. Elephants displayed self-directed response through inspecting behaviour via usage of their trunk and legs while interacting to the mirror. Interestingly, the Malayan tapir showed startled behaviour during their interaction with the mirror. However, the absence of interactive behaviour of the Malayan tiger signalled a likelihood of a decreased social response behaviour. These results suggested that the ability to self-directed in front of the mirror is most likely related to the new approach to study the neural mechanism and its level of stimulus response in wildlife. In conclusion, research on mirror-induced self-directed behaviour in wildlife will have profound implications in understanding the cognitive ability of wildlife as an efort to enhance the management strategies and conservation.


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Official URL or Download Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71047-1

Additional Metadata

Item Type: Article
Divisions: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security
DOI Number: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71047-1
Publisher: Nature Research
Keywords: Animal; Wildlife; Behaviour; Royal Belum; Rainforest; Malaysia
Depositing User: Ms. Nuraida Ibrahim
Date Deposited: 06 Jul 2022 04:57
Last Modified: 06 Jul 2022 04:57
Altmetrics: http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?domain=psasir.upm.edu.my&doi=10.1038/s41598-020-71047-1
URI: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/87638
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